Safe House 2
by Child of the Ancients
Summary: The spirit detectives are once again protecting a demoness in a safe house, but unlike last time, she's actually in trouble.


Brianna hummed happily to herself as pulled on a short, strapless, black cocktail dress over her black lace bra, panty, and garter set. Tonight was going to be a very nice night for her, and a very expensive night for Sakuya, one of the wealthiest men in town. He was a business man, and there were even rumors that he was the leader of the largest group of yakuza in Japan. Whether that was true or not, she didn't know. He had never given her a reason to believe that he was head of the yakuza, but she was not entirely sure. What she was sure of was that Sakuya was powerful, famous, and very rich. Some would say he was disgustingly rich, but she believed that he was deliciously rich.

Out of all the women Sakuya could find to go on dates with him, he had chosen her. Of course, she had made sure of it. She was not entirely human, although she wasn't sure what she was. There was one thing she did know though, she had glamour that was mentioned in all those lovely fairy tales with the fae. With the glamour, she had appeared as exactly what Sakuya had been looking for.

With some thought and effort, she could make herself look different, and the illusion would fool all the senses. For men who wanted a taller woman, she could be taller. If some teenage boy wanted a slightly older woman who reeked of sex and beauty, she could do that too. Whatever her date wanted, she gave him. It was why she was so popular.

That kind of glamour took less power and concentration, but it also took her knowing what her date wanted out of her. If she didn't know what the man wanted, or if there were multiple men, she could project a different type of illusion that allowed all the men to see her as what they desired the most, even if each man wanted something different. It was harder, and took more power and concentration, but it was a worthwhile magic. That was how she had attracted Sakuya.

Her power had taken a while to develop, but once it had, Brianna's life had become so much easier. She had been able to be hired by richer clients that had never been interested in her before. She had been beautiful before, with slightly more than average height and rich curves that went with an elegant face. But with her illusion-colored body, she began to finally make enough money to house herself comfortably.

She had grown up on the streets with nothing, and so she had sold the only thing she had –her body—to survive. For a while she had tried to earn an honest living, but it had been impossible. Few would hire a child, and those that did paid pathetic wages. She had not earned enough to even feed herself, let alone pay for shelter. For a while she relied on the charity of temples and kind strangers to house her from time to time when it was too cold to sleep on the street.

At around fifteen Brianna had found someone who was willing to pay her just to be seen with him. He had been the son of a wealthy business owner, but the money had not been enough to earn him a girlfriend or respect from his peers. He had been far too nerdy and shy. To win a bet, he had gone wandering around the part of town with the prostitutes, trying to find a young girl who could win him the bet. He had found Brianna.

That had started off her career in enjo-kosai or paid dating. Men would pay for a woman to spend time with them, and technically it wasn't illegal in Japan. It was only illegal if someone paid for vaginal sex, so everything else was fair game.

For a while Brianna had supplemented her enjo-kosai pay by working in a soapland, washing men backs and other parts for money. After a few years she had been able to quit her soapland job and stick just with the paid dating. Technically she was a very high-class, well-paid hooker, but she didn't mind too much. She made more than enough money to pay her bills, buy groceries, put clothes on her back, and still put away plenty of money for her eventual retirement. Besides, it was only sex plus a little time spent in the company of rich men. Technically, she couldn't charge for the sex, but if taken to court she could always say that she charged them for her time and the sex was free because she liked sex. It would even mostly be the truth.

She had a list of regular clients that she spent at least a few days a month with. Not all of them were attractive, but they all paid well for her services. It allowed her to live in a very nice apartment in a nice part of town that was well known for its safety and proximity to some of the best shopping areas the city had to offer. If Sakuya became one of her regular clients, she was pretty sure she would even be able to retire early.

Brianna had met Sakuya through another client, and she had used her magic to make sure that Sakuya had seen her as whatever he desired in a woman. She made sure to present Sakuya with her card, although for the first time since learning how to use her glamour, she had not been sure if he had been interested. But, the magic had worked. A few days later he had called her about serving as his date, and that she was to dress very nice.

Smiling to herself, she pulled on her thigh-high stockings, hooking them to her garter belt before she pulled on a pair of black high-heeled shoes that helped show off her long legs. Sakuya was tall enough that she did not need to worry about being taller than him. He liked his women a little shorter than him, although not too short, thus the heels. While she could have achieved the same effect with glamour, it would take less concentration and magic if she used the heels instead.

An alarm went off, letting her know that it was time to head down to the apartment complex entrance. Sakuya would be picking her up in a few minutes, and she wanted to be on time. She believed that it was important to make a good first impression, and this would be her first date with Sakuya. If she wanted him to hire her again, she would have to prove that she could be exactly what he wanted and needed.

Brianna pulled on a light black jacket that ended just below her bust line, the intricate beading on the jacket twinkling in the light of the room. She took one last look in the mirror to check her makeup and make sure that she looked perfect. Her black hair was piled on top of her head in a mess of curls that looked both elegant and trendy, and her blue eyes practically glowed as they picked up on the beautiful color of the sapphires that winked in her earlobes and sparkled around her neck. Satisfied with the way she look, she locked the door and went down to the entrance.

She was outside in the dark for only a few minutes before a sleek black limo with heavily tinted windows pulled up. A tall, muscular man got out of the front passenger's seat and opened one of the back doors for her. She smiled at him, easily identifying him as a bodyguard, and gracefully slid herself into the car.

The seats were comfortable and made of leather, and Brianna settled herself in before she looked over at the man sitting next to her. Sakuya was not handsome, but neither was he ugly. He looked average in appearance, except for his height. He was about six feet tall, which was a little odd. It was also why he liked his women a little taller than normal. His hair was a silky black that he kept cut close to his scalp, and his eyes were a dark brown set under level eyebrows. Laugh lines in the corners of his eyes showed that he had a sense of humor, and his lips were quirked in a half smile. He was dressed elegantly in a tailor made business suit that fit him perfectly to make his shoulders appear a little wider than they really were as well as his waist a little smaller.

Sakuya slowly looked Brianna up and down, pleasure in his eyes as he took her in. "You took what I said seriously," he commented softly, his voice mid-range for a male and pleasant to listen to. This was the man people thought was head of a yakuza? Ridiculous.

"I am too dressed up for what you wanted?" She lowered her eyes and looked at him through her lashes. She had a little glamour going, just enough to make her body a little less curvy. The first time she had met Sakuya, she had learned that he preferred his women a little more lean than curvy, like many of the supermodels that graced the runways. "I tried to make sure what I wore was appropriate."

"You look perfect." The smiled, flashing brilliant white teeth. "You look exactly like the kind of woman my business partners will expect me to have on my arm. I will be the envy of every man in the room."

"I live to serve," Brianna replied, keeping her voice low and sultry. It wasn't hard for her to flirt or make it seem like she desired a man. While she was not all that attracted to Sakuya as a man, she could pretend quite easily for the amount of money he was paying her.

Sakuya took one of her hands in his and raised it to his lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles. His eyes stared into hers intently, and she could tell that he wanted her from his body turned towards hers as well as the consistent eye contract.

She left her hand in his, letting him hold onto it longer. "So, might you tell me for what event I dressed up?"

His thumb began to run back and forth over her knuckles. "It is a charity fund-raiser event to help boost my PR," he replied as he continued to watch her. She found his attention flattering.

"Then I will act accordingly at the event." She smiled demurely at him. "I will be exactly what you need."

Sakuya flashed her another smile. "Which is why I hired you." Something beeped, and he released her hand. "If you will excuse me one moment." He reached into the inside of his suit jacket to pull out a cell phone. He flipped it open, putting it up to his ear as held up a single finger to Brianna, letting her know he would just be one minute.

"I told you that I was busy tonight and to handle any problems that might occur on your own," he said to the person on the end of the other line. His tone lost the charm and pleasantness that it had possessed when talking to her.

Brianna relaxed back into the seat, gently placing both of her hands in her lap so that she looked obedient. She was paying attention to the call, but she made it look like her attention was for the scenery outside the tinted window.

"So take care of it," Sakuya replied, and something in his tone made Brianna glance at him out of the corner of her eye. His tone was business-like, but the clenching of his fist and the tightness around his eyes revealed his tension and displeasure. "That is what I pay you for."

Something in her gut tightened, and she made sure to keep a relaxed smile on her face. Sure also upped her glamour to keep herself from revealing anything to her date. It would not do to make him unhappy with her on their very first outing.

"I see. Very well, I'll take care of it. Just make sure that someone comes in later to tidy things up." Sakuya snapped the phone shut, and just for a brief moment something dangerous flashed through his eyes. He put his cell phone away and picked back up Brianna's hand. "My dear, how much is covered in this date?"

She gave him her sexiest, most sultry smile. "Anything you might want." He was probably asking about the sex, likely because he had some kind of fetish that was not entirely mainstream. She enjoyed a little bit of BDSM every now and then if it was done right, and if he wanted to spank her and tie her up, she was okay with that.

"Forgive me if this is insulting to ask, but I must know," he continued, his voice pleasant but his eyes blank. "Does your silence come with the package, or is it extra?"

Ah. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't go spreading rumors about his sex life. It was a normal worry of the rich men she dated. "Everything I see or hear goes no further than me. I am a professional, so you have my silence on anything that might happen tonight between us."

"Good." Sakuya tapped the intercom button to talk to the driver. "We must make a quick side trip before we arrive at the fund-raiser." He quickly gave the driver the address and then turned off the intercom. "It will be a quick stop, I promise, and then we will continue on with the rest of our night."

"I am at your disposal with whatever you wish to do tonight," Brianna told him, although something in his manner was making her gut churn just a little. She didn't think it was nervousness, but something was causing the bad feeling.

"Excellent." Sakuya said no more, but he went back to rubbing her hand with his thumb. It almost seemed like a nervous gesture on his part, but she did not know him well enough to say for sure.

Brianna went back to watching the scenery, and she was surprised when the neighborhoods became more dilapidated and filthy. She watched small groups of young men walk down the streets with guns tucked into the waist of their pants. She couldn't hear anything happening outside of the car due to soundproofing, but she knew what she would hear if she rolled down the window. She had grown up hearing the sounds of gunshots, shouting, and sirens. This was the part of town that she had fought and clawed to escape.

She had no idea what they were doing in the worst part of town, but she knew that it could not be good. The churning in her gut became worse.

She increased her glamour, just in case.

After a few more minutes, the limo pulled into an alleyway and stopped. Sakuya patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I will be but a moment; do not worry." He gave her a quick kiss, his lips brushing against hers before he climbed out of the back of the limo and walked out into the alleyway that was filled with trash and filth.

Brianna watched as Sakuya approached another man standing in the alleyway. The other man was average height with broad shoulders, his posture tight and controlled. He was dressed in loose clothing, but he was too far away for Brianna to pick up much else about him.

The two men continued to talk. Sakuya shifted his posture to a more defensive stance, his shoulders tightening. The other male took a more aggressive stance, his legs moving farther apart, his chest out a little bit. Something about the other man made her think cop.

Suddenly both men made sudden movements, Sakuya reaching into his jacket and the other man going for something behind his back. Sakuya pulled out a handgun, and the other man fell to the ground, something shiny landing not too far away from his body. She wasn't sure since he was a little farther away than Sakuya, but she thought it was a gun.

Without sound, the scene was almost surreal, like she was watching a silent movie instead of witnessing it in real life. Surely Sakuya had not just killed someone in front of her. Not only had he killed, he had gone out to meet the man. Sakuya had sought the other out.

Suddenly Brianna felt like she was going to be sick.

Sakuya began to walk back to the limo, and she knew that she had to have herself under control before he joined her. If he felt that she was a threat, then he would kill her as well and leave her in the alley that she had struggled so hard to escape. She would have to keep acting perfect and give him whatever reassurances he needed, just to survive.

Brianna took a few deep breaths, forcing the scene from the alley out of her mind as she put as much as she could into her glamour to hide any slips or tells her body might give away. With as much as she put into her magic, all Sakuya would see when he joined her was a beautiful, calm woman that was very interested in sex. At least, that was what she hoped.

The sound of the door opening made her start a little bit, but she forced herself to turn to Sakuya and offer him back her hand. "I take it your business here is concluded?"

"Yes. The cop is dead, so we can continue on with the more pleasant part of our evening," Sakuya answered, voice calm and relaxed as if he had spent the afternoon by the pool. He was a cold blooded killer, and she was now going to spend the rest of the evening with him.

Kami, she didn't know if she could survive.

Brianna wanted to scream and run away from him as fast as she could. A few things stopped her. First, he would kill her before she got far, and if she did manage to escape, he would hunt her down like an animal and put her down just as easily. Lastly, she couldn't run very well in the high heels.

"Excellent. I am looking forward to our evening together," she replied, working hard to keep her glamour from faltering. She could not afford any slipups.

Sakuya kissed the back of her hand before he drew her close to him so that her side touched his. "So am I."

Brianna was not entirely sure how she forced herself through the rest of the date. She danced and made polite talk at the fund-raiser, earning Sakuya approval, as he told her many times. To be honest, she couldn't remember anything she discussed with anything or even what the food tasted like. The fund-raising speeches sounded no more intelligent than baby-talk to her, and she was incredibly happy that Sakuya did not ask her too many questions.

Later, he took her back to a hotel and they had sex. The sex was uneventful, although Brianna could sense the violent nature Sakuya was holding back. The violence hung in the air like a dark promise, and it had made her shiver.

Once Sakuya had paid her, she asked him to take her apartment as soon as it was possible without causing any alarm. She did not want him following her and killing her in her apartment just because she had said something wrong.

Thankfully, he suspected nothing, and after a kiss good-bye and a promise to call her later, she was free. She climbed out of the limo, blew him a kiss through the tinted glass, and went inside the apartment building.

She waved to the night manager as she made her way to the elevator and then rode it up to the top floor where her apartment was. She smiled at any of her neighbors she passed in the hallways, and she calmly unlocked her apartment door and went inside.

As soon as she was inside, she quietly closed the door and locked it, even dead-bolting it. The panic she had been fighting against all night climbed up her throat, threatening to strangle her. She had to get out, had to get far away where Sakuya could never touch her again.

She flew to her bedroom and began packing, throwing her clothing and other essentials into her designer luggage bags. As she packed, she struggled to think of where she could go where she could be safe from Sakuya. Nothing came to mind; all she could think of was Sakuya shooting a cop in cold blood right in front of her.

Brianna began to shake in fear, her glamour completely gone. She was pretty sure her control was so poor at the moment that she couldn't call back her glamour if her life depended on it.

She sat down on the corner of her bed, hugging herself tightly as she continued to shake. She needed to go someplace safe; she needed protection. None of her other clients could provide her with the protection she needed. Sakuya was the most powerful man in the city, and now she believed that he was the leader of the largest yakuza group.

Never before in her life had she called the cops. Living on the streets had given her a different perspective, but now she understood that they were her only hope. They could secret her away, protect her from Sakuya. She would likely have to testify against him, but she would do it if it meant her safety.

So, for the first time in her life, she picked up the phone and called the cops. It took her a few tries to correctly dial the correct number for the local koban, or police box, because her hand was shaking so badly. After a few tries, she finally got it right.

"Officer Akiha speaking. What can I help you with?" a firm voice answered after two rings.

"I... I need to report something," Brianna stammered out as she curled up into a small ball on the bed.

"I'm listening," the officer said, and to his credit he did not sound tired or distracted, despite the late hour.

"I saw Sakuya shoot a police officer tonight in an alleyway near the old factory. I just got away from him." She continued to shake, but in addition, tears ran down her cheeks. Kami, she was so scared.

"Say that again?" He sounded surprised with a hint of doubt.

"Sakuya made a quick stop before the fund-raiser. He got a call on his cell phone. He wasn't pleased, so he went out to the bad side of town and met up with a guy. The guy was a cop, and Sakuya shot him," Brianna told him. "Please, please, Sakuya knows that I saw this. You have to get me out of here!" She was crying in earnest now, her fear nearly crippling her.

"It'll be okay; calm down," Officer Akiha told her, voice soothing. "Just give me your name and your address. I'll send plain clothes detectives to retrieve you immediately."

The fear gripping her so fiercely finally relaxed its hold on her. The police were going to take her away and protect her. She gave the officer her name and address, her tears slowly drying up. Everything was going to be okay. If there was one thing the cops were good at, it was doing everything in their power to fight crime.

Brianna stayed on the phone with the officer until she heard a knock on the door. "They're here. Thank you." She hung up the phone, cutting off whatever the officer had started to say. For a moment she debated calling back the officer, but she didn't worry about it. Instead she went to the door and peaked through the hole to see who was outside.

Two males stood there, both tall, at least six foot. One had black hair that was slicked back with what was likely a large amount of hair gel. His chocolate eyes were intense and set beneath thick black brows. Dressed in jeans and a plain white shirt, he looked more like a street punk than a detective, and that worried her for a moment.

The other male had brilliant red hair that was the same color as rubies, the strands hanging down to about his waist. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds, marking him as a foreigner or at least a decedent of one. His features were almost beautiful, but something kept him from it to keep him looking handsome instead. His clothing was nicer, more business casual than anything with white dress slacks and a green silk shirt in the chinese-style. He did not look like a detective either, but perhaps that had been the point. The police wanted her to survive, so they would not want to raise suspicion.

Still, she figured it would not hurt to be careful. "Identify yourselves, please," she requested, keeping her tone polite. It wouldn't be good if they weren't detectives and she invited Sakuya's assassins in.

"Brianna, I'm Yusuke and this is Kurama. We're spirit detectives," the black-haired man replied, his tone cautious and his posture leery. He opened his wallet and flashed some kind of credentials. "We're supposed to take you to a safe house—"

Brianna interrupted him by unlocking and throwing open the door for them. "Please come in, and hurry." She ushered them inside, just in case Sakuya had spies amongst her neighbors. He probably didn't, but paranoia would help keep her safe.

The two men entered, a brief flash of surprise flitting through Yusuke's eyes. He probably hadn't expected her to let him in so easily. Perhaps it was because of the strange job title they had. She had no idea what spirit detectives were, but she didn't care. Detectives were detectives, despite what adjective they added to it.

"I'm already packed and ready to go. Just let me get my suitcases." Brianna rushed off to her bedroom to grab her luggage, her heart lighter now that she had people to help protect her.

The two men exchanged glances. "This is going very different from last time," Yusuke commented. "No protests, no nothing."

"She was expecting us, it seems," Kurama replied, frowning slightly as he stared off the in the direction the girl had headed off to. "Perhaps Koenma decided that warning her ahead of time might make the process go a little smoother."

"Well, it worked." Yusuke sat down in a plush chair as he studied the expensive surroundings. Everything was covered in costly fabric, and the carpet was so plush he could probably sleep on it. "I wonder what she's hiding from. Koenma didn't exactly go into details... again."

Brianna came out of the bedroom dragging two large pieces of luggage. She was still wearing the expensive black dress and jacket, her heels still on her feet. She had been so worried about everything else she had not thought to change.

Kurama moved forward. "Here. Allow me to help you with those," he offered, gently taking the luggage from her grip. "We have a car in the parking lot that we can put these in."

"Thank you," she said gratefully, smiling at him. It wasn't a full smile, but it would have to do. "I have a few more bags. Once I get them, we can go."

"We'll send Yusuke down with the first set of bags, and then we'll follow with the last of them," Kurama decided. "That will keep some suspicion at bay."

"Alright," Brianna agreed readily. To be honest, she would have agreed to almost anything if it meant getting to the safe house in one piece.

When she went back into her bedroom, Yusuke turned and gave his friend a decidedly unhappy look. "Did you really have to volunteer me like that?" He hefted up the bags, grunting from the weight of them. "Kami, it feels like she packed some bricks in here."

Kurama went over to the window and looked outside. "She's scared, near terrified," he answered. "Whatever it is that she's running from is bad. The sooner we get her out of here, the better." The redhead turned to look back at Yusuke. "Go on down. We'll be joining you soon."

Still grumbling, Yusuke dragged and hauled the luggage out the door and to the car, obviously pissed off. Kurama wasn't worried though. He knew his friend would cool off soon enough.

Brianna came out of her bedroom dragging two more bags. "This is the last of my stuff. I packed pretty much everything that would fit."

Kurama took the bags from her. "Then lets go." He escorted her to the car, and within moments, they were driving off for the safe house.

Ten minutes later, two police in civilian clothes showed up at Brianna's apartment. They knocked and knocked, and eventually tested the door to find it unlocked. Surprised and worried, they entered the apartment, searching for Brianna. They found nothing but an empty closet and a few odds and ends around the apartment. Brianna was no where to be seen.


End file.
